CIGNA Behavioral Health Doubles Online Coaching Program

CIGNA Behavioral Health Doubles Online Coaching Program

New Services Include Help for Managing Pain and Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Dec. 16, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) today announced that it has doubled the behavioral health issues addressed by its online coaching series, Emotional Well Being (EWB). This value-added service for CBH customers and their employees has met with overwhelming success, reaching more than 100,000 individuals in less than a year, connecting individuals with 24/7 access to a licensed behavioral health expert to help those suffering from stress, depression and/or substance abuse. In addition to these conditions, the expanded EWB program will now enable participants to receive online coaching to improve their written and oral skills, manage chronic pain and build stronger intimate relationships.

"We are pleased that so many of our customers have taken advantage of the EWB program," states Jodi Aronson Prohofsky, Ph.D., LMFT, senior vice president of clinical operations for CBH. "The program's ability to loosely emulate the kind of coaching relationship formed between a person and counselor in a face-to-face environment has been key to EWB's success. We are excited to expand the program to meet the needs of more of our members."

The new program additions were identified and selected based on employer and employee feedback. "Since the program has proven valuable to our customers, we wanted to expand into areas that were most critical to improving workplace productivity and reducing time away from work," Prohofsky adds. In the past year, EWB has shown to be extremely valuable for personnel who are in travel-intensive positions or isolated geographically, or who are reluctant to seek help for any reason as it offers confidential, self-paced, Internet-based access to behavioral health assistance.

The coached series can contain up to nine interactive computer sessions that each take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete. An optional homework assignment is also included that can be submitted by the member to the coach for confidential and customized follow-up, complementing face-to- face counseling and broadening the impact and reach of traditional diagnostic and treatment tools. Continued program evaluation and feedback may generate additional online coaching sessions in the future.

CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH), provides behavioral care benefit management, EAPs, and work / life programs consumers through health plans offered by large U.S. employers, national and regional HMOs, Taft-Hartley trusts and disability insurers. CBH, with headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., operates five care management centers around the U.S. in support of a national network of more than 47,000 Independent psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers and more than 4,000 facilities and clinics. For more information, visit http://www.cignabehavioral.com/.


Source: CIGNA Behavioral Health

Contact: Gwyn Dilday of CIGNA Behavioral Health, +1-818-500-6370,
gwyn.dilday@cigna.com

Web site: http://www.cignabehavioral.com/

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